Several hundred thousand patients undergo disc operations each year. Approximately five percent of these patients will suffer recurrent disc herniation, which results from a void or defect which remains in the outer layer (annulus fibrosis) of the disc after surgery involving partial discectomy.
Reference is made to FIG. 1A, which illustrates a normal disc as viewed from the feet of a patient up toward the head. The nucleus pulposus 102 is entirely surrounded by the annulus fibrosis 104 in the case of healthy anatomy. Also shown in this cross section is the relative location of the nerves 106. FIG. 1B illustrates the case of the herniated disc, wherein a portion of the nucleus pulposus has ruptured through a defect in the annulus fibrosis, resulting in a pinched nerve 110. This results in pain and further complications, in many cases.
FIG. 1C illustrates the post-operative anatomy following partial discectomy, wherein a space 120 remains adjacent a hole or defect in the annulus fibrosis following removal of the disc material. The hole 122 acts as a pathway for additional material to protrude into the nerve, resulting in the recurrence of the herniation. Since thousands of patients each year require surgery to treat this condition, with substantial implications in terms of the cost of medical treatment and human suffering, any solution to this problem would welcomed by the medical community.